In the United States, an estimated 10% of adults ages 65 and over have dementia. According to a recent study published by the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, long-term care for dementia is so expensive, patients and families can face catastrophic out-of-pocket expenses. Researchers from Georgia State University School of Public Health, the University of Washington School of Pharmacy, and the University of California at San Francisco analyzed data from 4,500 adults, 40% of whom had possible or probable dementia and 60% of whom had no dementia.
For adults with dementia, the average monthly out-of-pocket cost for residential care was $3,090; and for nursing homes, it was $3,849 a month. For people without dementia, this was $2,801 and $2,176, respectively. The median adult with dementia spent 97% of their monthly income on residential care, while the median adult with dementia in a nursing home spent 83% of their income on care.
“These data highlight the financial burden placed on older adults and families to pay for [long term care] especially for [patients living with dementia] who make up a disproportionate share of [long term care] users,” the study’s authors wrote. “Continued reliance on patient or family . . . to fund [care] exacerbates inequity in access to services.”
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